American’s Got Nurses Interview Article – Psychiatric Nurse

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One of the most challenging and rewarding nursing careers available today is that of a psychiatric (mental health) nurse. This area of specialty in the nursing field focuses on caring for people of all ages with mental illnesses or diseases. Psychiatric nurses are expected to understand how to effectively deal with issues such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, psychosis, depression, or dementia and do so with the right attitude along the way.

Compassion and a large reservoir of patience are crucial to success in this field and those without the ability to provide both should look elsewhere for their nursing specialty. However, if patience and compassion come naturally and providing care for patients suffering from emotional, psychological, and behavioral issues sounds interesting – becoming a psychiatric nurse just may be the perfect fit. Just ask Staci Priano, a Clinical Resource Coordinator who was recently interviewed for the online nursing website, Nursing Degree Guide.

When she was asked what was the most fulfilling aspect of working as a psychiatric nurse, she replied, “…being able to focus on healing areas of a patient’s being that usually had been marginalized, trivialized and stigmatized.”

Educational Requirements

Of course, the path to becoming a psychiatric nurse requires a strong commitment to education. Like all nursing specialties, degrees in nursing are required, along with licensing for the nurse’s state of residence. Afterward, on-the-job training is vital. The experience gained by working with an experienced psychiatric nurse is priceless and goes a long way toward assisting a potential psychiatric nurse in gaining quality employment.

Work Environment & Skills Needed

The work environment for psychiatric nurses is usually clinical with an occasional variance for emergency situations. Mental health nurses generally work with families, groups, and communities to assess mental health needs. Since patients in need of psychiatric nursing are often emotionally, behaviorally, or psychologically challenged, it is important that a psychiatric nurse be confident, calm, and patient at all times. The ability to handle stress in a positive way is a must, as well. Because of the extensive job duties of a psychiatric nurse, it is important to take the time to make sure the tasks involved in the daily life of this specialty is a good personal fit.

Job Duties

The daily tasks of a psychiatric nurse include the following:

•Assess psychiatric disorders in patients
•Diagnose and treat disorders once assessed
•Identify risk factors for future disorders
•Contribute to policy development and quality improvement
•Assist in practice evaluation and healthcare reform

Summary

Working as a psychiatric nurse can be rewarding yet challenging at the same time. Unlike other nursing specialty areas, psychiatric patients often don’t have a physical illness or injury that can be visibly assessed. It is more difficult to understand, diagnose, and treat mental illnesses than it often is for physical illnesses or injuries. For that reason, a nurse working in the psychiatric field must be able to have the patience and compassion necessary to help patients with issues not as easily identifiable.